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Monday, 25 July 2016

What's bothering the World, today?

We all have problems. Our problems always seem to be the biggest.

Here are today's problems, as seen on the Internet. By region/nations.

Problems, worries, questions in First World Countries:
1) In Germany, a bomb attack in Ansbach.
2) At the French Border, a 12-hour traffic jam after the French decided to beef up border security (after the Nice attack).
3) In the UK, people are asking, “are we really Brexiting?”

Problems, worries, questions of an emerging Superpower
1) Heavy rains and fatal floods in Hebei
2) How to set aside the Hague Tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea?
3) At least we managed to control ASEAN! Phew!

Problems, worries, questions of a Superpower

1) Is Donald Trump REALLY going to be the next President?

2) Who the heck is Mike Pence?

3) What? Another shooting in a Florida Nightclub?

Problems, worries, questions of our neighbour up North
1) 1MDB
2) MH370 - Where is it?
3) Who is Malaysian Official 1?

Meanwhile, problems, worries, questions of Singaporeans
1) Why Michelin didn't include my favourite hawker/Bak Chor Mee/Restaurant/? (Conversely, how the hell did THAT restaurant/hawker get a Michelin star?)
2) Please bring in/don't let them bring in Pokemon Go!
3) What the hell! They raise the ERP for the CTE!

Why we resist the ideologues

There are... liberal democracies where you can have an "Amos Yee" type freedom.

There are also very sad places where there is little freedom or security, and life is very hard.

And there are a few places where there is quite a lot of chaos and life is uncertain.

Then there are very few places where you can be reasonably civilised and have sufficient security and responsible freedom to have a good life.

Singapore is one such Oasis of sensibleness... we are an Oasis of order, competence, efficiency, and reasonableness in an otherwise chaotic unreasonable, incompetent WORLD. Not just the region.

If Singapore becomes a copy of a Western Liberal Democracy with all the inherent inefficiencies, silliness, drama, and chaos, it would be a very sad thing...

If Singapore breaks down and devolves into a corrupt, ineffective, unfocused, shambling chaotic third world country, it would also be a very sad thing.

There is only one place where you can find Singapore's straightforwardness, integrity, efficiency, competence, order... And that is here, in Singapore.

If we lose this, whether because we lean to much to the left, or whether we let ourselves sink into mediocrity through complacency or a sense of destiny, or divine right, it will be gone.

...so that is why we resist the ideologues.

Trees

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.”

Reminder

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Ernest Hemingway

The Tao of Government

"Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthen their bones."

"He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge, and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it). When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal."